Vapor electric apparatus.



M. A. E. LEBLANC.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. 1912.

1,188,663. Q Patented June 27, 1916,

ATTORNEY MAURICE Auens'rE EUGENE LEZBLANC,

ASSIGNMENTS, T COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF JERSEY.

0F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR, lBY-MESNE HOBOKEN, NEW

, APo ELEcTEI APPARATUsL To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE AUGUsTE EUGENE LE LANo, a citizen of the Republic of France,. and resident of Paris, France, have made a'new and useful Improvement in Vapor Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vapor electric apparatus such for instance as mercury so that vapor lamps-or rectifiers, in which both the anode and cathode are composed of conducting cury, and has for its object to provide an improvedconstruction of apparatus of this kind which shall be reliable and continuous in operation. Y

' Invapor electric apparatus of the kind to which the invention relates it is well known that a large proportion of the total heat generated bythe-passage of the electric current when the device is operating, is evolved at the positive electrode or anode, and that the latter is therefore normally maintained at a higher temperature than the. cathode.

The evaporation of the mercury or other vaporizable material forming the electrodes,

is therefore greater' at the anode than at the cathode, and the initial distribution of the mercury between the two electrodes gradually alters during the operation of the lamp, the amount of. mercury at the cathode tends to increase with a corresponding diminution of the mercury at the anode.

In order to restore the mercury thus collected at the cathode to the. anode from heretofore been proposed, one of which consists in normally locating the cathode at a higher level than the anode, so that assoon as a predetermined amount of mercury has collected at the cathode any excess'will flow under gravityalong the'containerof the demercury coming in vice to the anode, thereby maintaining the quantity of mercury of the two electrodes substantially constant. This method of attaining the desired result is, however, open to grave disadvantages inasmuch as the excess of mercury flowing from the cathode to the anode passes through the active vapor .column of the device, and since the latter is at a comparatively high temperature, the contact with the hot column 15 more or less suddenly and violcntly vaporized, with a consequent increase vaporizable. material such as mer various arrangements have immediately adjacent I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June $1 1916 Application filed February 7, 1912'. Serial No. 676,051. i

other vaporizable material at the cathode of the device in accordance with the amount of liquid material collected at this electrode.

In order that the nature ofthe invention may; be clearly understood reference may be made to the accompanylng drawings, of

which-.

, Figures 1, 2 and 3 are diagrammatic views illustrating a lamp constructed in accordance with the invention, the several figures showing various embodiments of the invention. I

Referring now to Fig. 1, the negative electrode of the device is indicated at 1 as comprising a body of mercury or other vaporizable material located in a pocket 2 formed atone end of the container of the lamp, the lighting. tube of 3L -The usual condensing chamber forcontrolling the resistance characteristic of the lamp is indicated at 4 as located immediately above the cathode 1 and a pocket 5 of suitable size and shape is formed in the container intermediate the lighting tube 3 of the lamp and the cathode 1. The positive electrodes or anodes are shown at 9, 9.

The operation of this form of the device is as follows: Assuming that the lamp is in operation and that the pocket 2 has become completely filled with mercury due to the lower temperature and therefore greater condensation at the cathode 1, any further condensation at the cathode will cause the excess of liquid thus formed to fall into the pocket 5 intermediate the cathode and the lighting tube, the pockets 2 and 5 being so formed that the excess of mercury enters the latter pocket in isolated globules so that the bodies of mercury in the two pockets 2 and 5 are never electrically connected with one another.- The mercury in the intermediate pocket being small in amount relative to the mercury atthe cathode, and being to the hot vapor column of the device, is rapidly vaporized the lamp containing the luminous vapor column being indicated at so that any excess of mercury accumulating at the cathode end of the device is removed therefrom in the form of vapor without interfering with the proper operation of the apparatus.

Referring now to Fig. 2, an alternatlve construction is illustrated in which the oathode end of the container of the apparatus is provided with a special condensing cham-' her 6 located immediately above the cathode 1 and having its entrance 7 closely adjacent to the surface of the cathode. In operation this condensing chamber 6 is open to the vapor column of the apparatus through the passage 7 so long as the surface of the mercury forming the cathode 1 1s below .a predetermined level, and under these c1rcumstances the condensing chamber 6 serves to cool the vapor column by radiation-1n the usual manner. As soon, however, as an abnormal quantity of mercury has accumulated at the cathode, due to condensation, the rise in level due to this condensation causes the surface of the mercury at the cathode 1 to seal the passage 7 leading to the condensing chamber 6, which is thereby rendered inoperative. The temperature at the cathode end of the apparatus therefore rises with a consequent increase in the evaporation from the surface of the cathode, thereby effecting a reduction in the amount of liquid mercury at this point. It will be readily understood that by the action above described the quantity of mercury at the cathode is maintaine approximately constant.

Referring now to Fig. 3, a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is illustrated, in which the apparatus is provided with the usual condensing chamber 4 in addition to the auxiliary condensing chamber 6 shown in the latter figure. The special condensing chamber 6 is in this case located on that side of the cathode 1 which is remote from the lighting tube 3 and is connected to the container by two-passages 7 and 8, the

lower, 8, of which constitutes a constantly open communication between the mercury of the electrode and the lower part of the auxiliary condensing chamber 6. The eration of this form of the apparatus is substantially the same as that already described with reference to Fig. 2, since any increase in the amount of mercury collecting at the cathode 1 will evidently seal the passage 7 leading'to the condensing chamber 6 and thereby reduce the effective radiating area at the cathode end of the container of the device. f

The arrangement above described may evidently be considerably modified in many respects and the invention is not to be re garded as restricted to the above described or other arrangement, except as indicated by the appended claims. Thus, for exthe material vaporized at the aieaeee ample, the evaporation described herein may be applied either to the cathode or to the anode, as may be desired or found useful.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a vapor electric apparatus, positive and negative electrodes of conducting vapor izable material, means for isolating a portion of the vaporizable material at one of the electrodes and means for maintaining the portion thus isolated at a higher temperature than the remaining portion of the electrode.

2. In a vapor electric apparatus, positive and negative electrodes of conducting vaporizable material, means for isolating a portion of the vaporizable material at one of.

providing the portion reduced facilities for the electrodes, and thus isolated with radiation of heat.

3. In a vapor electric apparatus, positive and negative electrodes of conducting vaporizable material, a tube communicating with the said electrodes and means acting through the normal operation of the apparatus after starting for isolating a portion of the vaporized and condensed material at one electrode, such means consisting of a pocket or depression in close proximity to the negative electrode, capable of retaining a comparatively small portion of cathode, the

pocket or depression when filled with vaporized material being on a level with the lower interior wall of the said tube.

In a vapor electric apparatus, positive and negative electrodes of conducting vaporizable material and means acting through the normal operation of the apparatus after starting for isolating a portion of the vaporizable material at the negative electrode, such means consisting of a depression close to the negative electrode chamber and located below the upper edge thereof and be tween the positive and negative electrodes of the apparatus.

5. In a vapor electric apparatus,- positive and negative electrodes-of conducting vaporizable material and means acting through the normal operation of the apparatus, after starting, for electrically insulating a por= tion of one of the electrodes under predetermined condltions during operation, such means consisting of a depression capable of retaining a comparatively small portion of the negative electrode and a barrier for shutting off the main portion of the neg-a tive electrode from external influences.

6. In a vapor electrode apparatus, posi= tive and negative electrodes of conducting vaporizable material, a depression in close proximity to the negative electrode, acting through the normal operation of the appa= ratus, after starting, for receiving and isolating a portion of the vaporized and con-- densed material at one of the electrodes and means for maintaining the portionthus isotrodes of conducting material therein, and a pocket formed in the container in close 10 proxlmlty to one of the electrodes and acting through the normal operation of the apparatus, after starting, for receiving the excess of vaporized and condensed material from the adjacent electrode.

Signed at Paris, France, this twentieth 15 day of January, 1912.

MAURICE AUGUSTE EUGENE LEBLANC. Witnesses:

HANSON O. Coxn, JNo. BAKER. 

